‘We are tearing this down’: 90-foot Hanuman statue in Texas sparks row
MAGA activist’s call targeting 90-foot Texas statue draws Hindu American backlash
Dubai: A 90-foot statue of Lord Hanuman, a revered Hindu deity, in Texas has become the centre of a fresh religious and political row after a conservative YouTuber declared that it would be torn down “when we win”, drawing a sharp response from Hindu Americans, including a US Army combat veteran.
Jesse Hughes, a YouTuber and Make America Great Again (MAGA) activist, posted a photograph of the Statue of Union at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land and wrote on X: “Btw, when we win, we are tearing this down.”
Hughes did not specify in the post what he meant by “when we win”.
The remark comes as the United States heads towards November’s midterm elections and amid a wider political debate in Texas over immigration, race and the state’s growing South Asian community.
‘Coming for my religion’
Among those responding was Ruchir Bakshi, who describes himself as a Hindu American and US Army combat veteran.
Bakshi said he had not served in the military so that someone could threaten another American community’s faith.
“It is a threat against Hinduism itself to vandalise another American community’s house of worship because you hate the faith inside it,” he wrote.
“If winning in America means demolishing Hindu temples, you don’t want the country I fought for. You just want a license to go after people who aren’t you,” he added.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) backed Bakshi, saying it shared his concern about “open religious bigotry” being expressed online.
Statue has faced protests before
The controversy surrounding the Hanuman statue predates the latest political row.
The Statue of Union was consecrated in August 2024 at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple. Standing 90 feet tall, it is described by the temple as North America’s tallest statue of Lord Hanuman.
Soon after its inauguration, the statue attracted opposition from some Christian activists.
In August 2024, about 25 members of a local church demonstrated near the statue, praying and proselytising. The Houston Chronicle reported at the time that the protest prompted temple leaders to subsequently hire security guards and install cameras.
The latest remarks have now brought the statue back into the spotlight more than two years later.
Wider Texas political row
The dispute also comes days after another controversy involving South Asian Americans in Texas.
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a photograph from a University of Texas football game showing people who appeared predominantly of South Asian heritage and suggested the image illustrated a problem with university admissions.
His comments drew criticism from Democrats as well as prominent Republicans.
Republican Senator John Cornyn condemned the post, while French defended his remarks by arguing that university admission policies were disadvantaging Texans.
University data cited by Reuters, however, showed that more than 80 per cent of students at the University of Texas at Austin are Texas residents, while only 4.3 per cent of undergraduates are international students. State law also requires 90 per cent of each incoming undergraduate class to be Texas residents.
The two controversies have intensified debate over how immigration, race and religious identity are being discussed in Texas politics as campaigning gathers pace ahead of the midterm elections.
